Book Club 2nd Edition

Although this novel was one of the Globe & Mail’s Best Books of 2024 it
received mixed reviews by the Book Club members. This might relate to
its mixed genre – historical fiction, science fiction, or medical fiction. The story
covers the years 1916 to 2024 as it follows the lives of a family whose daughter
ages one year for every four years of life.  It traces the past century’s  burgeoning
understanding of genetics, eugenics, and what constitutes “normal” while
exploring the tensions, losses, love and sense of duty that can bind families
together or split them apart. Despite its mixed reviews it stimulated profound
discussion. The author comes from a medical journalist background and was
Editorial Director of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and Editor-in-Chief
of their website.  She draws on these skills as a ‘newish’ author.

submitted by:  Judith McGillvray